Hydrocarbon fuels are currently used throughout the world. One specific example of a hydrocarbon fuel is gasoline (which includes octane). Another common hydrocarbon fuel is diesel fuel, which is used in diesel engines. Waxes, oils, and fuels are also desirable hydrocarbon products. Hydrocarbons are used in cosmetic and medical applications.
Biomass is a renewable feedstock. Biomass may comprise lipids (such as fats or oils) that are available from plant, algal, or animal origin. These fats or oils may include fatty acids. Obviously, given its abundance in nature, it is desirable to find a way to use this biomass as a starting material to form a useable product, such as a hydrocarbon fuel.
Current methods to convert biomass to a hydrocarbon fuel involve the process known as “hydroreacting” in which hydrogen gas is added to the biomass (in the presence of a catalyst) to convert the biomass to hydrocarbons. Unfortunately, hydroreacting is generally expensive because hydrogen gas is an expensive reactant. Also, a catalyst is involved in this process, and such catalysts are often intolerant with Ca, Cl, V, N, As, Hg, Si, P, Cr or other materials that may be found in the biomass. Other impurities include soluble vitamins, steroids, terpenes, alkaloids, etc. Another process to convert biomass to hydrocarbons is decarboxylation, wherein the carboxylic acid functionality of a fatty acid is “decarboxylated,” thereby leaving a hydrocarbon. (In some situations, this decarboxylation step may be preceded by a fermentation step and/or a hydrolysis step, depending upon the starting material.) Employing the decarboxylation process to produce the hydrocarbon is generally expensive.
Accordingly, there is a need for a new process by which biomass (such as carboxylic acids, oils, etc.) may be converted into a hydrocarbon. It would be desirable for this process to be inexpensive to use and capable of producing a variety of different hydrocarbons. Such a process is disclosed herein.